Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Interesting information coming from SD News Watch & the Chiesman Center. In a poll taken in July, it shows that by itself, recreational marijuana is not as popular as some of it’s supporters have claimed, and it could lose in November:

A statewide poll conducted in late July shows that support for legalizing recreational marijuana for adult use in South Dakota has waned in the past two years and also appears to indicate that a referendum on legalization in November could fail.

The poll of 500 registered voters in July found that 43.8% of respondents support legalization of recreational marijuana, and that 54.4% oppose legalization.

and..

The only registered political committee to oppose IM 27 so far, formed in July 2022, is called Protecting South Dakota’s Kids. 

The group’s chairman is Jim Kinyon of Rapid City, a certified mental health counselor who also serves as executive director of Catholic Social Services. State Rep. Fred Deutsch, R-Florence, is the group’s treasurer, according to state records. The group has not yet filed a campaign finance report.

“South Dakota is coming to our senses; we’re starting to see that this isn’t going to make us free and happy,” Kinyon said.

Read the entire story here.

I don’t know that opposition efforts are as strong as they’ve been in past elections. While Republican officeholders aren’t big on it, there is a sense of ..ambivalence, for lack of a better word. It’s not a hill they intend to die on, and if they have to deal with it in the legislature, they’ll do their job in terms of regulating and taxing it, and they’ll move on.

Which makes the polling results more interesting; in that there’s possibly more opposition than thought.

Given these results, it may also mean that those backing the measure may have to open up their wallets, as there’s a chance they might not be as secure in the results as they had previously thought.

Jackley Announces Search Committee for Director of DCI

Pierre, SD – Marty Jackley announced today the Committee to assist in the selection of the next Director of the State’s Division of Criminal Investigation under the Attorney General’s Office.

“I have often relied upon these individuals for their sound advice on law enforcement issues, and I appreciate their willingness to now assist in recruiting and recommending top candidates for our consideration.  Their task is simple- go find the best candidates to lead the Division of Criminal Investigation that will work with other law enforcement agencies to best protect our communities,” stated Jackley.

The committee members are:

• CHAIR- JIM VLAHAKIS YANTON COUNTY SHERIFF AND FORMER DIRECTOR OF DCI
• MARK BARNETT – FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL AND CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE
• TONY HARRISON-FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE REP. & FORMER PENN CO. SHERIFF CAPTAIN
• DOUG LAKE-FORMER DIRECTOR OF DCI
• MIKE MILSTEAD –MINNEHAHA COUNTY SHERIFF
• BRIAN MUELLER – PENNINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF – ELECT
• DAN NELSON – BROOKINGS COUNTY STATES ATTORNEY
• STEVE SWENSON – LINCOLN COUNTY SHERIFF
• ALEXIS TRACY – CLAY COUNTY STATES ATTORNEY
• MARK VARGO-ATTORNEY GENERAL & PENNINGTON CO. STATES ATTORNEY (Leave of absence)
• JO VITEK –FORMER CHIEF OF THE WATERTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT
• MIKE WALSH-FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE REP. AND FORMER MINN CO SHERIFF CAPTAIN
• PAT WEST-MEADE COUNTY SHERIFF-ELECT AND FORMER WEST RIVER DCI AGENT-IN-CHARGE
• BRIAN ZEEB-FORMER DIRECTOR OF DCI

The application process, deadlines and requirements will be posted on the South Dakota Attorney General’s website at https://atg.sd.gov/

From the Noem campaign via Twitter:

Whether it’s law enforcement or small businesses affected by outrageous taxation or Democrat mandates, freedom-loving Americans are always welcome here in South Dakota! pic.twitter.com/9ThTDV0ReP

— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) August 23, 2022

On the heels of Mssrs. Ellis and Sneve announcing the Dakota Scout website and newspaper to cover State and Local Politics in South Dakota, a second organization has announced it is hiring reporters to cover South Dakota politics, led by Seth Tupper, formerly of the Rapid City Journal and South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Career news: I’m leaving @SDPBNews to join @statesnewsroom. I’ll be editor of a site providing investigative and in-depth daily reporting, commentary and analysis on critical challenges facing SD. And I get to hire three journalists. More details later … https://t.co/T3ybGGUWlv

— Seth Tupper (@SethTupper) August 20, 2022

States Newsroom in South Dakota will be dedicated to serving as a government watchdog, covering policy, politics, and other stories of statewide interest. We want reporters who can provide important information to readers about elected officials, how public money is spent, and the ways that policy decisions affect South Dakotans’ lives.

Three reporters will cover the Legislature, governor’s office, state agencies, elections and other assignments. The reporters will produce daily and enterprise stories, take photos, and share content on social media.

The ideal candidates will know how to track trending topics and hold officials accountable through deep source building and public records requests. The reporting will take readers beyond press releases, providing a deeper understanding of the issues.

and..

The salary for these reporting positions ranges from a minimum of $50,000 to more than $65,000, depending on experience.

Read that here.

Well, good luck to everyone.

From the Argus Leader, contrary to the claims of some, the Secretary of State is reporting “no disputes of the presidential election outcome in 2020.”

You can read the story where the clip comes from here.

Why do I think that’s just throwing gasoline on the fire for those who don’t believe it?

US Senator John Thune is traveling across the state during the August work period, and recently met with Ag producers as he tries to ensure that South Dakota has input into the 2023 Farm Bill:

The last farm bill was signed in 2018 and Thune is looking for insight from South Dakotans about their concerns for the 2023 version.

and..

“As we think about agriculture in the future our producers are becoming way more aware and conscious of a lot of their practices and implementing conservation practices and how that is good not only for soil health,” said Thune. “Obviously, there is a way that eventually maybe they will economically benefit from that because they can store carbon.”

Carbon farming uses carbon that would be released into the atmosphere but is instead captured and buried underground. It then helps the soil repurpose that carbon from the ground.

Read the entire story here.

Republican State Representative Taylor Rehfeldt was among 48 State Legislators from across the country to be selected to receive the Henry Toll Fellowship for 2022:

I’m excited to be 1 of 48 selected for the Henry Toll Fellowship. I’m looking forward to dedicating 5 days to learning and listening so I can be a better leader for my district and state. The journey begins on Friday! #growth #leadership #rehfeldtforhouse #sdlegislature@CSGovts https://t.co/Aa0Y8tv8D8

— Taylor Rehfeldt (@TaylorRehfeldt) August 23, 2022

According to the program, “The Toll Fellowship, named for CSG founder Henry Wolcott Toll, is one of the nation’s premier leadership development programs for state government officials. Each year, the Toll Fellowship brings 48 of the nation’s top officials from all three branches of state government to Lexington, Ky., for an intensive five-day, “leadership boot camp.” The program’s sessions are designed to stimulate personal assessment and growth, while providing priceless networking and relationship-building opportunities.”

Congratulations to Representative Rehfeldt!

After one of the identified leaders of the group refused to answer who their members were, The mystery of who the undisclosed members of the Freedom Caucus group are might have been uncovered with the release of a letter sent to Governor Noem demanding the retention of election records from the 2020 General election.

The release sent today notes in part:

Nearly a third of the current South Dakota legislature signed onto the letter, which argues that the ES&S contract’s provisions which would render election results to become proprietary information should be considered unenforceable. The letter stated that, “such agreement should not be the basis to obstruct or abolish the inherent right of citizens to oversee their elections.”

“Whether there are election issues or not, we stand united that the elections belong to the citizens and it is their right to oversee them to insure they are open, honest, and transparent,” said Freedom Caucus Chairman Representative Aaron Aylward, who was the first to sign the letter.

Nearly a third? Well, no. 24/105 legislators would nearly be 1/4 of the current State Legislature, not a third.  And “ensure” means to make certain, and  “insure” is what you pay your insurance company to do.

So, who is the group backing the Freedom Caucus’ attempt to preserve records to litigate the 2020 election? According to the letter attached to the release…

With the letter signed by..

Representative Aaron Aylward
Representative Drew Dennert (gone for ’23)
Representative Fred Deutsch
Representative Randy Gross
Representative Jon Hansen
Representative Taffy Howard (thankfully all 86% of her is gone for ’23)
Representative Kevin Jensen
Representative Phil Jensen
Representative Chris Karr
Representative Sam Marty (gone for ’23)
Representative Liz May
Representative John Mills
Representative Tina Mulally
Representative Scott Odenbach
Representative Ernie Otten
Representative Marty Overweg
Representative Carl Perry
Representative Sue Peterson
Representative Tom Pischke
Representative Tony Randolph
Representative Bethany Soye
Representative Kaleb Weis (gone for ’23)
Senator Julie Frye-Mueller (still stuck with her in ’23)
Senator Marsha Symens (gone for ’23)

..that tells us that South Dakota Pillow Guy groupies Tina, Taffy and Julie might have found some friends to sign on to their wacky crusade, but over 3/4 of the legislature have no interest in re-litigating the 2020 election in South Dakota. Especially considering no one can identify any elections in the State that had their outcomes altered by the alleged fraud they claim to be searching for.

If you take out the number of people who are not coming back next year, that knocks down the number of rebel caucusers participating with the Freedom Caucus down even further.

Stay tuned.

From Twitter:

1.5 miles of smiles & fun at the #RiverboatDays #parade! @yanktonrbd is an amazing way to celebrate one of the last big #SouthDakota summer ☀️ traditions before school starts. We loved every minute (and mile!) of it. pic.twitter.com/63L5kazzJO

— John Thune (@johnthune) August 21, 2022

July 2022 marked a 388% increase in border crossings compared to July 2020 when President Trump was in office. This number is slightly down compared to June—however—July is the 17^th consecutive month under Biden’s presidency that the southern border had over 150,000 illegal border crossings. Not to mention the 200% increase of fentanyl seizures from June 2022 to July 2022.

Recent news articles detail drug and migrant smuggling—both are now multi-billion-dollar industries. Over 5,000 people were arrested and charged with migrant smuggling last year, and federal agents are raiding stash houses holding dozens of migrants on almost a daily basis.

The lax illegal immigration policies by the administration have allowed for mass releases and encourage more border crossings. One thing is clear—this administration should never have ended the Remain in Mexico program.

Taking a weak stance on the border isn’t the humanitarian thing to do—it’s created unmanageable organized crime. Human and drug smuggling have caused thousands of deaths and people continue to remain held against their will in stash houses. This is inhumane. Congress must act to stop the illegal actions by coyotes.

There are simple steps to combat illegal immigration. The administration should start with ending catch and release—allowing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain those who illegally enter our country while their cases are pending. We should reimplement the Remain in Mexico program. The Biden Administration should also fully fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol, and deploy technology to stop the humanitarian crisis at the border.

I am committed to keeping America safe—for those who live here and those who plan to come here legally. Keeping South Dakota’s communities safe includes securing our borders.

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